Elias Island (place)
Elias Island is an island in the Penobscot Bay off the coast of Maine. It was established by Mr. Walter Elias in 1897 and has been slowly growing ever since, with a current population of approximately 6,500 full-time citizens. Elias Island is approximately 50 square miles, roughly seven miles long and seven miles wide. The closest city on the mainland of Maine is Rockland, a popular tourist town from where you can catch a ferry to many of the nearby islands. The ferry trip from Rockland to Elias Island is approximately 2 hours long, and may be slightly longer in bad weather. Any high school student not attending Elias Academy will need to catch the ferry to and from Rockland to attend the public school there. The town's creation was largely funded by Mr Elias himself, with help from a few old money families who were the first to build their homes on the island. The dream was to make a wholesome and tight-knit community, a place where big businesses and mainstream corporations hadn't yet dug their claws into, and it's retained that dream, for the most part. There aren't any fast food chains or high-end department stores to be found on Elias Island, but rather kinds of business that have been in families for years. Weather In Elias Island, the summers are mostly comfortable with some humidity, while winters are windy with snow, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 18°F to 71°F (-7°C to 22°C) and is rarely below 4°F (-16°C) or above 79°F (26°C). There are exceptions to this, such as the blizzard and heat waves that have struck the island in the past. Weather in Elias Island is similar to that of nearby Vinalhaven or Rockland, which can be a useful guide. Layout The island's main attraction, Elias Academy is located in historic buildings on the north side of the island. It is a vast school, containing wings for high school education and the Academy's university, as well as separate dorms. Moving down from the Academy is the island's Main Street, with Elias Street running perpendicular to it. As the name suggests, this is the main street that runs through the island. Small businesses and family run shops line the sides of Main Street, giving the island its quaint 'small town' feel. The proximity to the residential districts and the Academy makes it a popular spot among the locals and it caters more towards the family-oriented citizens, with plenty of places for the younger inhabitants of the island to spend their time. The grade school, for grades K-8, is off to the east of Main Street, and towards the southeast, there is a small park with a tiny pond and plenty of areas to picnic in. Located on the south side of the island and at the opposite end of Main Street, Downtown Elias makes its mark as the island's main business district with the town's City Hall at its center. The streets here are primarily bigger businesses, office buildings, and small company headquarters. What it lacks in a complete family-friendly vibe, it makes up for in its fine dining and luxury apartments and hotels. It also sports a nightclub that's lately become popular with the more rebellious and thrill-seeking of university students. The island's east side and north-west are almost entirely made up of the residential districts surrounded by various parks and Tugley Woods, which provide housing for the rest of the citizens of the island. The neighborhoods tend to be broken up by financial status, with a gated community for the more well-off inhabitants, a regular suburban neighborhood close the Academy for the middle class, and apartment compexes in Main Street and Downtown, and a dilapidated trailer park that sits on the far southeastern coast of the Island. Alongside the downtown area on the west side of the island, sits the docks, which accounts for the roaring fishing trade the island is known for. Running from the docks up the west coast of the island, there is also a beach and boardwalk for the citizens to enjoy themselves in the summer months, making it another popular spot for tourists. Following the beach away from the downtown will eventually lead to a small cove with a beautiful cave with a hole in the roof. Category:In Character Category:Locations